‘God Only Knows’ This ‘Bioshock Infinite’ Barbershop Quartet Is Great

It’s story time, kids! Everybody sit pretzel-style in a semicircle around me, and I’ll get started. It all happened during the magical year of Twenty Aught Three, when everyone was arguing about whether we were two or three years into the new millennium. Boy bands were slowly relinquishing their hold on the pop charts, after an unusually cold winter in Central Florida killed off three members of 98 Degrees. And I was in a barbershop quartet. Okay, it was actually a barbershop chorus. What does this have to do with Bioshock Infinite? Very little.

I told you all that because this story involves two things that are very close to my heart: barbershop harmony, and the song “God Only Knows.” The song is an absolute masterpiece by Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys. [This is where I had to edit out three paragraphs of gushing about the song. I’ll put it up at some point, and title it “A Post That Only Eight People Will Actually Read.”] I was delighted when a barbershop quartet appeared singing the song in Bioshock Infinite. It was by far my favorite part of the game, even though there was nothing to do but listen.

I’d bet that these four guys probably felt the same about that scene in Bioshock Infinite as me. They showed up at the PAX East convention, dressed as that barbershop quartet, and performed the arrangement of the song as it was heard in the game. All four are obviously accomplished singers, and this wasn’t their first time singing barbershop harmony. I’d wager that they’re members of SPEBSQSA (the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America), and participate in regional competitions. It’s surprising to see such young men singing like this. When I was in that barbershop chorus, my friend and I were at least 20 years younger than everyone else involved. Here are a few of their performances from the convention.